• June 2, 2023
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Opinion

OCPA CEO Is Back on the Chopping Block – Will Irvine Vice Mayor Tammy Kim Vote to Keep Him?

Once again this week, the Orange County Power Authority board of directors will vote on whether to terminate the agency’s CEO, who has been tied to corruption allegations at the agency and an ongoing cause of numerous failures, including exit discussions by every member city. Although there are six members on the OCPA board, the […]

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Opinion: Great Park Urban Farm Providing Diverse Public Benefits, a Link to the Past, and Innovation: Stability Jeopardized?

Did you know that Irvine has an urban farm at the Great Park? This local and perhaps under-appreciated amenity operates in association with Solutions for Urban Ag. This local good, currently known as the Great Park Farm and Food Lab, provides diverse public benefits. These include but are not limited to providing a link to […]

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Opinion: Mayor Seeks to Accelerate Technology Development in Irvine, but at What Cost to Our Quality of Life?

“Austin is the fastest-growing major metro area in America, having expanded by a third in the past ten years. It is already the eleventh-largest city. New jobs mop up newcomers as fast as they arrive. Every day, the metro area adds three hundred and fifty-five new residents, while two hundred and thirty-eight Austinites depart, many […]

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Opinion: Irvine’s Participation in OCPA in Jeopardy Following Accusations by Buena Park Board Member

“What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.”  -Christopher Hitchens With Irvine’s continued participation in Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) on the line, a Buena Park council member’s series of attacks on Irvine and one of its representatives on the Board threatens to tip the balance. Buena Park City Councilmember Jose Trinidad […]

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Great park

Opinion: Great Park Residents Council Request For Irvine to Reject Live Nation Amphitheater Deal

Last Thursday, Irvine City Manager Oliver Chi gave a presentation to a group of concerned neighbors at the Great Park. We were informed that the Construction, Design, and Operating Agreement with Live Nation, approved by City Council on September 27th, 2022, was rejected by Live Nation and made a counteroffer with lopsided terms to the […]

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Great Park

Opinion: Funny Valentine? Say “No” to Live Nation Bait and Switch, “Yes” to a Smaller Amphitheater

“Don’t change a hair for me, not if you care for me …” – Rodgers and Hart, “My Funny Valentine.” At the Irvine City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at 2:00, the city staff will update the Council on the proposed amphitheater in the Great Park. The staff report, “Overview of Current […]

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Ranked Choice Voting

Opinion: Why Irvine needs ranked Choice voting

An official from one of the county political parties once told me that he doesn’t care about voter mandates, and that if a candidate wins with only a minority of votes cast, the voters have in some sense spoken. Sure, I answered him, but how much are we allowing the voters to say? And is […]

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Opinion

Opinion: Support District Elections and Expand The Size of the City Council

In all the years I have lived in Irvine, I have never seen so much corruption in Irvine’s decision-making process, including an increasing lack of transparency and intentional discouragement of public participation. Since public distrust of our City Council has substantially increased, Irvine residents are asking for corrective action. Increasing our City Council size and […]

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Opinion: Improving Irvine’s Resident Representation

Now that Irvine has seated its new Councilmembers, we can make changes to our decision-making process that would inspire public participation and better represent Irvine’s residents. Goal: Improving Irvine City Council’s representation of the city’s residents would include, but not be limited to, decreasing campaign costs, thus reducing Councilmembers’ dependence upon special interest support, improving […]

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Hydrogen blend pipeline

Opinion: SoCalGas Planning to Experiment with Hydrogen Gas at UCI Mesa Court Housing and Arts Buildings

Southern California Gas Company plans to use the University of California Irvine Campus- including freshman residential housing areas- as a testing ground for their potentially dangerous hydrogen blend fuel.  SoCalGas claims that the “electrolytic hydrogen can be safely blended into existing natural gas infrastructure on the university’s campus.” If approved, SoCalGas could begin testing hydrogen blending […]

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